Vacuum tube socket and terminal therefor



June 19, 1934.

v A. W. KIMBELL VACUUM TUBE SOCKET AND TERMINAL THEREFOR Filed July 5,1929 Patented June 19, 1934 UNITED STATES VACUUM TUBE SOCKET ANDTERMINAL THEREFOR Arthur W. Kimbell, Chicago, Ill., assignor to CinchManufacturing Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of IllinoisApplication July 5, 1929, Serial No. 375,924

7 Claims.

My invention is for improvements in socket devices and terminal memberstherefor particularly adapted for use as radio tube sockets.

In the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this application:Figure 1 is a plan view of a socket for receiving the-prongs of a radiotube; Fig. 2 is an underside view of the socket; Fig. 3 is a transversesection taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1; Fig. 4 is a detail sectiontaken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line5-5 of Fig. 2, but showing a prong entered into a terminal member; Fig.6 is a side elevation of a terminal member; and Fig. 7 is a plan view ofa terminal member.

While I have illustrated in the drawing and will hereinafter describe apreferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited to theparticular details illustrated and described, my invention being bestset forth in the claims forming a part of my application.

The socket which I have selected for illustration in the drawing isparticularly adapted for the mounting of radio tubes, while the terminalmembers are also adapted for other uses as electric terminal members.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated I have provided a pair ofplate members of thin insulating material, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.The top plate I shall term as the base 1 and the bottom plate I shallterm the terminal supporting plate 2 (see Fig. 4). The base 1 and plate2 are punched or otherwise cut from sheet material and have variousapertures formed therein either during the punching operation orseparately. In the base 1, I provide a number of contact receivingapertures 3 arranged in a circle about the center of the base (Fig. 1),the number of apertures varying according to the number of prongs orcontacts on the base of a radio tube to be used with the socket. Theterminal supporting plate 2 is provided with the same number ofapertures 4 as provided in the base and for alignment therewith when thesocket is assembled.

The terminal members A which are used with the base 1 and plate 2 areeach formed from sheet metal. The particular terminal members Aillustrated are stamped from flat sheet metal and have their elementsfolded and bent into shape to produce terminals like those illustratedin Figs. 6 and 7.

Each terminal member has a base 5. a yieldable sleeve 6 extending fromthe base, an aperture '7 in the base in alignment with the sleeve 6, aconventional wiring terminal 8, spacing means 9 and lug means 10extending from the spacing means. The sleeve 6 is formed by a number ofpetal-like portions or fingers 11 bent inwardly from the edge of thebase and extending substantially parallel to the base for a distancetoward the center and then the fingers extend at substantially a rightangle to the base to form -The shoulders 13 on the spacing means 9engage the face of the plate 2 and space the base 5 and inwardly bentportions 14 of the fingers 11 from the plate 2, as shown in Fig. 3.

After the terminal members are assembled with the terminal supportingplate 2 the base 1 is placed in position with its apertures 3 alignedwith the apertures in the bases of the terminal members. Then a tubularrivet 15 of rectangular crosssection is passed through holes ofcorrespondingcrosssection,-formed .in the base 1 and. plate 2, and theends are peened over, for example, to clamp the parts together as shownin Fig. 3. The square rivet 15 in the square holes prevents rotation ofthe base 1 relative to the terminal supporting plate 2 therebymaintaining alignment of the parts. Furthermore, only one rivet isrequired to hold the parts in assembly.

If desirable, a washer 16 of insulating material may be secured in placeby the rivet 15 (Figs. 1 and 3) to provide means for guiding thecontacts of the tube into proper alignment with the aper-- tures 3. Thiswasher l6 acts as a guide about the edge of which the contact members onthe tube may be rotated.

The lug means 10 prevent rotation of the terminal members A relative tothe terminal supporting plate 2 and also hold them in assembled relationprior to complete assembly of the socket.

The plate 2 is made smaller than the base 1 and the wiring terminalsextend over the edge of the plate 2, as shown in Fig. 3.

When a prong or contact of the radio tube enters an aperture 3 in thebase 1 and a terminal member A, as shown in Fig. 5, the sleeve 6 isexpanded. During expansion of the sleeve 6, the parallel portions 14 ofthe fingers 11 yield away from the base and this action is notinterfered with because the spacing means 9 maintains a space whichpermits such yielding. Also the wallefthe aperture 4 is normally spacedfrom the sleeve 6 (Fig. 3) but may act to provide a stop against overexpansion and consequent setting of the fingers 11 of the sleeve 6.

The socket and the terminal members which I have illustrated anddescribed are simple, durable, inexpensive to manufacture and are adecided improvement over other known devices for similar purposesbecause the terminal members make a.

better and firmer electrical engagement with contact members.

It should be understood that the terminal members may be used in socketassemblies which may differ materially as to the number of parts usedand the exact arrangement and assembly.

I claim:

1. A socket comprising, in combination, a base having aperturestherethrough to permit passage of a number of contact members, terminalmembers located beneath said base and each having a yieldable annularsleeve aligned with one of the apertures in the base, a terminalsupporting plate spaced from said base and having the sleeves passingthrough apertures formed therein to align with the apertures of thebase, each of said termi nal members having a base resting against theunderside of the base, and having the sleeve formed by a number ofpetals bent inwardly from the edge of the base parallel thereto and thenoutwardly to form the sleeve, and spacing means extending from the baseand engaging the supporting plate to space it from those portions oi thepetals which are parallel to the. base of the terminal member thereby topermit movement of said parallel portions toward said supporting plateduring expansion of said sleeve portions.

2. A socket comprising, in combination, a base having aperturestherethrough to permit passage of a number of contact members, terminalmembers located beneath said base and each having a yieldable annularsleeve aligned with one of the apertures in the base, a terminalsupporting plate spaced from said base and having the sleeves passingthrough apertures formed therein to align with the apertures of thebase, each of said terminal members having a base resting against theunderside of the base, and having the sleeve formedby a number of petalsbent inwardly from the edge of the base parallel thereto and thenoutwardly to form the sleeve, and spacing means extending from the baseand engaging the supporting plate to space it from those portions of thepetals which are parallel to the base of the terminal member thereby topermit movement of said parallel portions toward said supporting plateduring expansion of said sleeve portions and lug portions extending fromthe spacing means into engagement with the supporting plate to preventrotation of the terminal members.

3. An electric terminal device for prong receiving sockets comprising abase portion, a number of petal-like portions extending inwardly fromthe edge of said base portion in substantially parallel relation theretoand then extending at a substantially right angle to the base to providea yieldable sleeve for receiving and holding a contact member, anaperture in said base portion in alignment with said sleeve, a terminalportion formed integral with said base and providing means for receivingand holding an electric current conducting element, and spacing meansextending from said base 'in the same direction as said sleeve toprevent a supporting structure from contacting with those portions ofthe petal like portions which are parallel with the base portion.

4. An electric terminal device for prong receiving sockets comprising abase portion, a number of petal-like portions extending inwardly fromthe edge of said base portion in substantially parallel relation theretoand then extending at a substantially right angle to the base toprocontacting with those portions of the petal-like portions which areparallel with the base portion, and lug means extending from the spacingmeans for engagement with a support for the terminal device.

5. A socket comprising, in combination, a thin, fiat base havingcircularly arranged apertures therethrough to permit passage of a numberof contact members, terminal members having all parts located entirelybeneath said base and each having yieldable means aligned with one ofthe apertures in the base, a thin, flat terminal supporting platelocated beneath said base and having apertures in alignment with theapertures in said base andwith the yieldable means passing through theapertures formed therein to align with the apertures of the base and asingle fastening member passing through the base and supporting plateinside the circle of the apertures therethrough and being non-circularin cross-section where it passes through the base and supporting plate,thereby to provide the only means for preventing relative rotationbetween the supporting pl ,te and the base.

6. A socketcomprising, in combination, .a thin flat base plate havingapertures therethrough to permit passage of a number of contact members,terminal members located entirely beneath the under surface of said baseplate, each of said terminal members comprising a base portion having anopening therein and a series of petal-like portions extending inwardlyfrom the edge oi the base portion in substantially parallel relationthereto and then extending at substantially a right angle thereto in anannularly arranged manner forming a yieldable sleeve, a terminalsupporting plate underlying said base plate in spaced relation theretoand having apertures therein aligned with the apertures in the baseplate, said terminal members having their sleeve portions passingthrough the apertures of said supporting plate and their base portionsand parallel inwardly extending portions lying in the space between thesupporting plate and the base plate, and spacing means located in thespace between the base plate and supporting plate maintaining them inspaced parallel relation, whereby provision is made for free verticalyielding movement of the inwardly extending parts of the petal-likeportions during expansion and contraction of the petal-formed sleeve.

7. A socket comprising in combination a base plate, an assemblycomprising a terminal supporting plate carrying a number ofcontact-prong receiving terminals, said base plate having aper- I turespositioned to overlie said terminals to permit passage of contact prongsthereto, and a single fastening device passing through the base plateand supporting plate and being non-circular in cross-section where itpasses through the base plate and supporting plate, said singlefastening device constituting the only means for securing the base plateand the supporting plate against relative rotation.

ARTHUR W. KIMBELL.

